S.T.O.P.P.E.D. Sheriff's Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers
Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with Phillip Bell, State Farm Insurance Agency, has begun a new program targeted at the young drivers of the community. STOPPED (Sheriff’s Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers) is a new program designed to alert parents of their children’s driving habits. State Farm and the Phillip Bell Agency support this initiative because they are confident that the youth of our community will be safer. Too many times a young person is pulled over by law enforcement due to a driving habit that goes unreported to the child’s parents. Young drivers are known to even receive citations due to their driving habits, but never tell their parents and pay off the citation without anyone ever knowing. It is our belief that if the parent’s know the type of habits their child is displaying, then it can be corrected at home before it is too late.
In 2007 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released that every 13 minutes someone dies in a traffic related accident. Of those, young drivers under the age of 25 are at most risk. In 2007 39% of males and 23% of females under that age of 25 were killed in traffic accidents in regards to excessive speeding alone. And of all 2007 vehicle deaths, only 57% of young drivers and passengers were utilizing seatbelts.
Phillip Bell
With the “STOPPED” program parents will be notified any time their child is stopped by local participating agencies, including Barnesville Police Department, Milner Police Department, Gordon College Public Safety and the Lamar County Public Schools. Information relayed to the parents will be: ·Type of traffic infraction ·Who was operating the vehicle ·Location ·Time ·Number of occupants ·If a traffic citation was issued Parents can also request addition information when filling out the sign-up form, such as being alerted if a specific person was in the vehicle, where the driver stated they were going, and how many passengers were in the vehicle.
The Michigan Sheriff’s Association has had tremendous success with this program and it is their outline that the Sheriff’s Office is following. Since 2005 4,800 vehicles have been signed up and NONE of the signed up vehicles have been involved in a traffic accident. Furthermore, of those 4,800 vehicles and drivers, only 9 letters have been sent home. This is overwhelming proof that young drivers under this program are thinking twice about their driving habits now that they are monitored more closely.
Parents wishing to sign their children up to the STOPPED” program can complete the online form below. The “STOPPED” program is free of charge and open to all parents of drivers under the age of 21.
Anyone requesting more information about the program can contact the STOPPED Coordinator, Corporal Michael Newman at the Sheriff’s Office. Cpl. Newman is also the LCCHS High School Resource Officer and can be located on campus anytime during school hours.
Larry Waller, Sheriff Lamar County Sheriff's Office 121 Roberta Drive, Barnesville, GA 30204 770/358-5159
